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The Hollywood Section of SMPTE®, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of technological advances in entertainment technology, will host a demonstration of classic movie sound technology at its monthly meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, July 25, in Hollywood.

The event will include a live performance by Joe Rinaudo, founder of the Silent Cinema Society, on an American Fotoplayer (provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences). The Fotoplayer is a type of player piano used in movie theaters during the Silent Era to provide sound effects and music.

Motion picture archivist Bob Heiber will give a talk on restoring magnetic soundtracks from the 1950s. He will also screen sequences from 70mm Todd-AO and Cinemascope 55 productions, including Oklahoma and The King and I.

Movie sound has undergone an incredible evolution since the early days of cinema,” said Jim DeFilippis, chair of the SMPTE Hollywood Section. “Our July meeting will provide a wonderful opportunity to experience what movies sounded like before the sound era, as well as when wide-screen and stereophonic sound first hit theaters.”